Perspectives on the Grenada Revolution, 1979-1983 Perspectives on the Grenada Revolution, 1979-1983 Edited by Nicole Phillip-Dowe and John Angus Martin Perspectives on the Grenada Revolution, 1979-1983 Edited by Nicole Phillip-Dowe and John Angus Martin This book first published 2017 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2017 by Nicole Phillip-Dowe, John Angus Martin and contributors Book cover design by Hugh Whyte All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-5178-7 ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-5178-7 CONTENTS Illustrations ................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... ix Abbreviations .............................................................................................. x Introduction ................................................................................................ xi Chapter One ................................................................................................. 1 Citizens and Comrades in Arms: The Congruence of Fédon’s Rebellion and the Grenada Revolution John Angus Martin Chapter Two .............................................................................................. 18 Was the 1979 Historic Occurrence in Grenada a Revolution or a Mere coup d’état? Lawrence A. Joseph Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 29 Overstretch to Bursting Point: The Demise of the Grenada Revolution Joseph Ewart Layne Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 47 “caterpillar dead butterfly born”: Empowerment of Women in the Grenada Revolution 1979-1983 Nicole Phillip-Dowe Chapter Five .............................................................................................. 65 Religion and the Grenada Revolution Claude J. Douglas Chapter Six ................................................................................................ 78 The Grenada Revolution: Perspective of a Young Pioneer Claudette Joseph vi Contents Chapter Seven ............................................................................................ 85 Understanding through Poetry: A Story of the Grenadian Revolutionary Journey Merle Collins Chapter Eight ............................................................................................. 99 The Grenada Revolution: An Art Perspective Suelin Low Chew Tung Chapter Nine ............................................................................................ 129 Ancestors, Memory, Trauma: The Grenada Revolution Alive Kimalee Phillip Chapter Ten ............................................................................................. 143 Paradoxical Memories: Inquiry into the Remembering and Forgetting of the Grenada Revolution Malaika Smith-Brooks-Lowe Chapter Eleven ........................................................................................ 157 Unearthing Maurice: Reviving Local History in the Grenadian History Curriculum Marie Benjamin and Kadon Douglas Chapter Twelve ....................................................................................... 171 Memories of Grenada: The Arts, the Ordinary and the Reconciliation Shalini Puri Select Bibliography ................................................................................. 179 Contributors ............................................................................................. 184 Index ........................................................................................................ 187 ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1-1 Artist’s impression of Julien Fédon (Michael Donelan) Fig. 1-2 Military barracks at True Blue, St. George after being attacked and burnt on March 13, 1979 Fig. 1-3 Radio Free Grenada on the morning of March 13, 1979 Fig. 1-4 First rally after the Revolution, March 1979 Fig. 1-5 Second rally after the Revolution, 1979 Fig. 1-6 Maurice Bishop at La Force Estate Fig. 1-7 May Day Celebrations Fig. 3-1 Joseph Ewart Layne Fig. 3-2 Revolution billboard- International Airport Fig. 3-3 Maurice Bishop, Raul Castro and Fidel Castro Fig. 4-1 Phyllis Coard Fig. 4-2 Revolution billboard – Women Fig. 4-3 Jacqueline Creft Fig. 4-4 Dessima Williams Fig. 6-1 Young Pioneers Fig. 8-1 Gordon Hamilton - Education A Right Not a Privilege, 2011 Fig. 8-2 Trish Bethany- Memorial to Simon: ‘for peace comes dropping slow...,’ 1984 Fig. 8-3 Erik Johnson- The legacy or ... and they said, 2011 Fig. 8-4 Susan Mains – Alimenta’s Sorrow, 2010 Fig. 8-5 Gordon De la Mothe – Coke in the Caribbean, ca 1990s Fig. 8-6 Jim Rudin – US Soldier on the Esplanade Grenada, 1983 Fig. 8-7 Poster Grenada 1979-1983 Revolution: An Art Perspective Fig. 8-8 Sue Coe – U.S. Military Successfully Bombs a Mental Hospital in Grenada, 1984 Fig. 8-9 Artists and their work on the poster Fig. 8-10 Poster collage of the revolution using works of various artists Fig. 8-11 Renate Krohn – Erinnerung An Die Opfer, 2011 (In Memory of the Victims) Fig. 8-12 Yvonne Roberts – Forget Me Nots, 2011 Fig. 8-13 Oliver Benoit – Defective Birth, 2011 Fig. 8-14 Canute Calliste – Killing Maurice Bishop on Fort Rupert in St. George’s viii Illustrations Fig. 8-15 Doliver Morain – Assassinated on Fort Rupert October 19 1983, 2011 Fig. 8-16 Alexandra Quinn – Forgotten Relics, 2011 Fig. 8-17 Gilbert Nero – Revolutionary Door, 2011 Fig. 8-18 Malaika Brroks-Smith-Lowe – Conversation Piece #1, 2011 Fig. 8-19 Lilo Nido – Revo Installation, 2011 Fig. 8-20 Turid Erichsen- A Grimm Fairie Tale ,2011 Fig. 8-21 Suelin Low Chew Tung – Untitled, 2011 Fig. 8-22 Bernadine Antoine – Untitled (My Backyard Until...) Fig. 8-23 Roland Benjamin – Untitled Fig. 8-24 Various Artist from left to right. Top: Stacey Byer - Silent Witness, Lizda Sookram - Untitled, Ricardo Francois - Known Before as (PSIA). Bottom: Jennifer Alexis - October 19th 1983, Nickel Fortune, Untitled, Roslyn Dewsbury- Grenada Under Fire Fig. 9-1 Grafitti with pro-revolutionary slogans Fig. 9-2 Graffiti on dilapidated building at Tempe, St. George Fig. 9-3 CIA propaganda comic book - part one Fig. 9-4 CIA propaganda comic book – part two Fig. 9-5 Monument to US soldiers at Point Salines, St. George Fig. 10-1 Maurice Bishop and Bernard Coard Fig. 11-1 Heroes of the World – Grenada Revolution Fig. 12-1 Boy and Cubana plane, Pearls, St. Andrew Fig. 12-2 Children playing basketball at Fort George ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is the end result of the UWI Open Campus Grenada Country Conference, March 3-5, 2016. The conference was held as part of the outreach programme of The University of the West Indies Open Campus Grenada. Fifteen papers were presented at the two-day conference of which twelve form part of this book. We would like to sincerely thank the contributors: Marie Benjamin, Merle Collins, Claude Douglas, Kadon Douglas, Claudette Joseph, Lawrence Joseph, Joseph Ewart Layne, Suelin Low Chen Tung, Kimalee Phillip, Shalini Puri and Malaika Smith-Brooks-Lowe. ABBREVIATIONS CCC - Caribbean Conference of Churches CIA - Central Intelligence Agency CPE - Centre for Popular Education CSEC - Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate GNM - Grenada National Museum GNP - Grenada National Party GULP - Grenada United labour Party JEWEL - Joint Endeavour for Welfare Education and Liberation MACE - Movement for Advancement of Community Effort MAP - Movement for Assemblies of the People NISTEP - National In-Service Teacher Education Programme NLA - National Liberation Army NJM - New Jewel Movement NWO - National Women’s Organisation NYO - National Youth Organisation PRA - People’s Revolutionary Army PRG - People’s Revolutionary Government RMC - Revolutionary Military Council UWI - University of the West Indies YWCA - Young Women’s Christian Association INTRODUCTION The history of the small island state of Grenada has been tumultuous. In just over three hundred years the island witnessed three popular uprisings that brought about profound changes in the society. The socialist revolution of 1979 orchestrated by the New Jewel Movement culminated four-and-a-half years later in a U.S.-led military invasion/intervention which threw Grenada full-fledged onto the international political stage. Research on this third revolution and its untimely and violent demise has captured the imagination of numerous writers, scholars, academics, poets, artists and playwrights. Over four hundred books, articles, plays, and videos have documented this event in excruciating detail, yet the vast majority of the authors have been non-Grenadian. This collection of essays captures the Grenada Revolution from a Grenadian perspective. All the contributors, except one, are Grenadian. In this regard, it is unique, and captures the voices of persons who were active participants, children, teenagers, young adults, and some yet unborn in the 1979 to 1983 period. They all, regardless, have a deep interest and attachment to the Grenadian experience. Those who witnessed it are still enthralled by the Grenada Revolution three decades later, and continue